1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dispenser for predetermined lengths of tape which are formed in a stack, and in one aspect to a dispenser for precut lengths of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape disposed in the stack with each strip of tape having a tab at one end which permits the dispensing of a strip of tape ready for application.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pads or stacks of predetermined lengths of tape are known in the prior art. Such stacks of tape known to applicants however are adapted for use as lint removers from garments and not as a supply of predetermined lengths of presssure-sensitive adhesive tape for use in a manner similar to that of tape dispensed from a roll. Such stacks of tape adapted for use as lint removers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,528,602; 2,724,847; and 3,373,457. These patents all show a stack of pressure-sensitive tape supported in a package in such a way that stripping a liner from the top sheet will expose the adhesive coated surface of the adjacent sheet, and the container may be folded or assembled in such a manner that the same serves as a handle for holding the pad of sheets to permit the same to be brought into contact with different areas of the garment to remove lint therefrom. In each of these prior devices the package provides a support for the pad. When the adhesive coated sheets are removed they are ready for disposal and how they are removed is of little importance.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,152, discloses a pad of sheets of pressure-sensitive adhesive material having an uncoated or nonadhesive nontacky surface adjacent at least one edge of each sheet. The sheets are adapted for use in mounting photographs. This patent however fails to teach a support for the sheets which will facilitate the separation of the sheets and avoid having the sheets curl or fold after they are separated which is a common problem encountered with strips of tape being peeled from a stack.
When separating a strip of tape from a stack of strips, the peeling of the strip of tape from the stack generally causes a curl to set in the tape backing. Thus, after the tape is peeled from the stack it will curl, roll or fold back upon itself, causing the adhesive to stick to other adhesive coated areas or to the backing of the tape, making it difficult to apply the dispensed strip onto a receptor surface. The tape must first be unwound and grasped in two hands and applied to the surface and then wiped in place.
The present invention provides a package of predetermined lengths of tape each formed with a tab at one end to permit the individual strips to be readily separated and removed from the stack. The package of the present invention affords removal of a strip of tape with the strip of tape being maintained in a generally straight flat condition ready for application. The removal of one strip from the stack is equivalent to the removal of a strip of tape from a roll.
The present invention provides a dispenser package for tape strips designed so the tape strips are removed from a stack of strips at an angle which is more nearly perpendicular to the stack of tape strips than parallel to the strips in a stack. The present invention thus provides a dispensing package for a stack of strips having a predetermined length and width and aligned in the stack.